"Ji, you used poison to murder the prince. You are a vicious and unrepentant person. You are hereby granted a white silk noose. This is my decree!" Su Peisheng read the imperial edict to Ji word by word, pronouncing the last two words, "white silk noose," with particular clarity.
Ji collapsed to the ground, staring at Su Peisheng in disbelief.
She angrily rushed forward and pulled at him: "I don't believe it! Consort Xi said that as long as I could testify for her and point out the real culprit, she would plead with the Emperor for me... The Emperor wouldn't ignore Consort Xi's words, you must have made a mistake!"
Su Peisheng ordered his servants to pull Ji Shi away, and slapped her across the face, leaving her left cheek swollen high with a prominent five-pointed red handprint. Ji Shi covered her face, glaring at Su Peisheng with wide eyes: "You dog servant, how dare you hit me?"
Su Peisheng spat and scolded, "I am a servant, but what about you? You're not even as good as a dog! Back when you were serving Consort Xi, you didn't know what was good for you, betraying your mistress and seducing the current Emperor. People like you deserve to die..."
Ji listened in a daze, and after a long while, she tried to rush forward again, but was stopped by two eunuchs beside Su Peisheng.
"I am the master, the emperor loves my beauty, I am not a servant. I will be a servant for the rest of my life, I want to be the master..." Ji Shi cursed wildly, trying her best to break free. Two eunuchs struggled to stop her, causing chaos.
Su Peisheng picked up the plate containing the white silk and approached Ji Shi, whispering, "Ever since you betrayed Consort Xi, the Emperor has never liked you! You're nothing more than Consort Xi's servant, no... even less than a servant. You're nothing in the Emperor's eyes, which is why he's always neglected you and ignored you. Do you still cling to the illusion that the Emperor will remember you? Your looks? There are plenty of beautiful women in the world; what the Emperor values is the heart..."
Su Peisheng pointed at Ji Shi's heart and said with disgust, "And your heart is black, it's filthy! You poisoned the prince and harmed Consort Xi, any one of these crimes is enough to make you die a thousand times over..."
In despair, Lady Ji gave up struggling, collapsed to the ground, and shed her last tear, crying out to the heavens, "Your Majesty! I truly love you. To win your heart and favor, I betrayed my promises, abandoned everything, and tried every means to gain your affection. But in the end, I still cannot win even a sliver of your pity. I do not wish to be anyone's slave, nor do I wish to be used as a pawn by anyone, but I have no choice. I was wrong..."
With a single glance from Su Peisheng, two eunuchs picked up white silk and approached Lady Ji.
"No, no, don't come any closer. I am the Emperor's concubine. You are all servants," Lady Ji said desperately, backing away step by step.
Dusk fell over Zhongcui Palace. Crows fluttered and took flight, soaring into the sky. The wind inside seemed particularly chilly, and everyone covered their ears, afraid to listen closely to what was happening inside. After a while, a human figure covered by a cloth was carried out. The sky grew darker, the inky black half of the sky like ink dripped into clear water, gradually expanding, growing larger, slowly swallowing the entire sky…
After learning of Shui Ling's death, Si Hua burned some paper money for her.
After all, the two of them had come to serve Lanqin together. One was composed, and the other was intelligent; both were well-liked by Lanqin. Sihua became Du Zhiqian's wife and now has children all around her, while Shuiling died in the cold, deep palace.
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